


The Soldier and the Spy

by MisguidedFeelingsofaDreamWeaver30



Series: Romanogers Week [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Other characters mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24402436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisguidedFeelingsofaDreamWeaver30/pseuds/MisguidedFeelingsofaDreamWeaver30
Summary: Steve tells his children the story of how he met their mother.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Series: Romanogers Week [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762123
Comments: 12
Kudos: 96





	The Soldier and the Spy

**Author's Note:**

> Ships: Romanogers, mentions of Brutasha 
> 
> Synopsis: Steve tells his children the story of how he met their mother. 
> 
> Words: 4223
> 
> Warnings: none 
> 
> Notes: Prompt #1 for Romanogers Week - Once Upon A Time

"Storytime, Daddy!" James Alexei Rogers cheers. His blue eyes sparkle as his red hair bounces in the dim lamplight. Yelena Sarah Rogers' mouth stretches into a gap-toothed smile. The quieter twin's green eyes twinkle at the prospect of a story.

“I won’t be able to tell it if you keep bouncing like that,” Steve warns his son. With one last flop, James lands on the bed decorated with Steve’s former emblem. It was a gift from Bucky and Sam, with pillows to match. When the twins were big enough to have their own room, Bucky, Sam, and Wanda insisted on decorating their bedroom. The result is an Avengers-themed bedroom with wallpaper embossed with the Avengers logo, and a set of action figures lining the shelves. A Black Widow lamp stands proudly in the corner of the room, shining a light on the two Rogers children and their father.

Steve climbs in after them, and they giggle at his attempts to fit his massive frame between them. James shifts closer to his dad, who presses him against his side. Yelena climbs into his lap.

“What will it be tonight?”

“A love story,” James requests.

Yelena wrinkles her button nose. “No, I want a hero story.” 

"How about we mix the two? I'll give you both a hero and a love story."

“What is it about?” James asks.

Steve’s eyes fall on two action figures: a woman in a black catsuit beside a man in red, white, and blue tights. Guns are in the woman’s hand while the man wields a shield. “Side by side, as always,” Wanda remarked when they finished assembling the room.

“It’s called the Soldier and the Spy.”

“I like it,” Yelena remarks.

Steve clears his throat. “Once upon a time…”

_Once upon a time, there was a soldier and a spy. They came from two very different worlds. The soldier grew up in the kingdom of Brooklyn, and he wanted to learn how to fight, but nobody would give him a chance because he was always sick. But all that changed when a wizard gave him a magic potion that made him stronger, faster, and healthier._

_Halfway across the world was a spy. She was a beautiful maiden who was taken from her parents and trained until she was the best spy in all the land. She was deadly in all her beauty, her body trained to take down any opponent that came her way._

_They didn’t meet until they were summoned to battle an army of aliens that threatened the kingdom of New York. It was there that the soldier and the spy met for the first time._

“Was it love at first sight?” James asks.

"Not exactly. But the soldier knew she was stunning."

_She had red curly hair that shone in the sunlight, and green eyes that shone like emeralds. “Ma’am,” the soldier greeted her._

_“Hi,” she said with a mysterious smirk._

_They were not the only ones on the team: there was a wizard who had the power to wield metal, a werewolf who was both the gentle and scary, a king who controlled thunder and lightning, and an archer who never missed a shot._

“Like Uncle Tony, Uncle Bruce, Uncle Thor, and Uncle Clint?” Yelena asks.

“Daddy, are you copying?” James accuses him.

"No," Steve protests. He lived this life so, if anything, he was wholly original with his story.

“When do we get to the hero stuff?” says Yelena.

“If you two keep quiet, we’ll get there.”

_The six of them went to the kingdom of New York, where they found it destroyed by the king’s brother, a dastardly prince who commanded a legion of monsters called the Chitauri. The soldier knew that they had to keep the kingdom safe, so he sent the team to keep the aliens from invading._

_It was there that the soldier saw how skilled the spy was as a fighter. She was a deadly shot who could manoeuvre her way across the battlefield. Eventually, she knew that they'd have to stop the monsters from coming. So, she asked the soldier's help in giving her a boost._

_“You sure about this?” The soldier asked._

_“Yeah, it’s going to be fun.”_

_She then ran at him and jumped off his shield, landing perfectly on a flying alien ship and zooming across the sky. She was magnificent._

“Wow.” Yelena’s eyes are wide and round. “Can I try that sometime?”

“Maybe when you’re older.” He did not need the image of his little girl attempting such a trick.

"Then I can do the shield part, and you can do the jumping part," James adds eagerly.

Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to share that part of the story with his children.

_She landed on top of the castle, and after the wizard destroyed the alien army, she closed the portal. After that, the team celebrated with a feast before going their separate ways._

_But it wouldn’t be the last time the soldier and the spy were together. The Captain of the Guard gave the soldier a new position in the Knights of Shield, where he met the spy again. This time, it would just be the two of them working together._

_They went on many battles together, fought many bad guys, and the soldier started to see the spy as a friend. She made him laugh, showed him the kingdom, and made him feel safe._

“Like in _Tangled_?” James asks.

Natasha never broke him out of a tower, but she did make sure he had a life outside of SHIELD by introducing him to the wonders of the 21st century. She'd even taken him around New York City, anchoring him when things got too overwhelming. 

“Daddy?” James pokes him.

“Huh? Oh, not exactly, James. I’d say it’s more like _Hercules._ ”

James frowns in confusion. "You'll get it when you're older," Steve comforts him. James pouts at that but does not protest.

“So, what happened next?”

_One night, when the soldier and the spy were fighting pirates, the spy left the soldier alone to steal a book about a hidden monster, known as HYDRA, in the kingdom. The soldier and the spy, realizing they weren’t safe, went to a hidden tower to search for the monster. While they were there, the monster’s acolytes searched for them. To escape, the soldier and the spy pretended they were getting married. He put his arm around her, held her hand, even kissed her on the stairway._

“Awww…” James coos.

“Ew,” Yelena remarks.

Steve chuckles at them.

_There, they found that the monster infected the kingdom with a deadly disease. It was spread by a lost, dark knight, who was once a friend of the soldier._

_With the help of a falcon, the soldier and the spy defeated the monster. But the soldier didn’t want to give up on his friend, so the spy gave him the book, saying there were a few spells that could be used to track down the lost knight. She kissed him on the cheek and wished him luck. Then, she was gone._

“Why does she always leave?” says James. “How will they fall in love if she keeps leaving?”

“Well, the soldier missed her ever since she left. He didn’t fall in love yet, but he did realize he wanted her in his life.”

_One day, the soldier received a call from the metal wizard, telling him that there were monsters across the world that needed to be defeated. So, the soldier reunited with the werewolf, the king, the archer, the wizard, and the spy. But the spy was different, more distant. It was then the soldier realized she was in love with someone else._

“WHAT?!” James yells. “That doesn’t happen. She belongs with the soldier!”

“Some people fall in love many times before they stay. And besides, the spy has her own feelings too. She might have loved before the soldier.”

“Maybe,” James mutters morosely.

“But why did she fall in love with someone else?” Yelena asks.

“Because she found someone like her.” That’s what Nat had told him then. She wanted to be with Bruce because he understood what it was like to be an outcast and who trod that fine line between hero and villain.

“So, when does she fall in love with the soldier?” Yelena asks.

“I thought you wanted action?” Steve reminds her.

Yelena blushes, her face as red as James’ hair. “I want to see what happens.”

_Even if the spy loved someone else, she and the soldier still worked as a team. Together, with the rest of their comrades, they defeated the last of Hydra's bases. But they had a new enemy, in the form of the wizard's creation: a metal man named Ultron. Ultron wanted to destroy the team and take over the world. He recruited a witch and a goblin to help him with his plans._

_As they battled against Ultron, the team was hit with a dark spell that showed them their darkest desires, their worst fears, and their most painful memories. The soldier saw the life he had left behind in his old kingdom, and the spy saw the past she worked so hard to leave behind._

_The team couldn't remain in the dark forever; they had to stop Ultron. After regrouping in a small cottage deep in the woods, they set off to stop Ultron. Unfortunately, the spy couldn't get out fast enough, and so the monster took her to a lair far from the soldier and the rest of the team._

“Oh no,” Yelena whispers.

Steve smirks.

_But the spy was smarter than that. Using an old spell that she found in the dungeon of the castle, she sent a message to the archer, alerting them to her location. The team, joined by a remorseful witch and goblin, and a new creation known as Vision, rushed to the kingdom of Sokovia._

_There, Ultron had assembled an army of metal men just like him, putting the kingdom and its people in danger. The team fought to contain them, but the situation grew direr as it was them against a thousand robots and numerous civilians still in peril._

_“I’m not leaving this rock with one civilian left on it,” the soldier told the spy as they stood in the rubble of the kingdom._

_"I didn't say we should leave," the spy told him. "There are worse ways to go." She turned her eyes to the horizon, which was a blue sky full of fluffy white clouds._

_“Where else am I going to get a view like this?”_

_It was nothing compared to the soldier's view. Seeing her there, her red hair blowing in the wind and her green eyes filled with quiet bravery, it was the most beautiful thing he'd seen. At least he would die by her side._

“The heroes can’t die. Can they?” Yelena asks.

James sniffs. Steve brings his son to his chest and crushes both his children in a hug.

_But, out of the blue, the Captain of the Guard showed up with the Knights of Shield. Together, they saved the kingdom and its people. Ultron was destroyed by the witch and Vision. But even though they won the battle, they lost a few soldiers. The werewolf went away, nowhere to be seen. The goblin had died protecting the archer and a small child._

_The team separated again, but this time, the soldier and the spy stayed together, vowing to train a new team so they could fight any new threats that came their way. Years passed, and the soldier and the spy not only grew as partners, but they also grew closer. The soldier and the spy took care of the new team, leading them to battle and teaching them how to fight._

_The soldier was there when the spy confided her heartbreak, and the spy was there as an old friend of the soldier grew weaker with each passing day._

“Then they fell in love?”

“Not yet.” But things had changed between them. He and Natasha never just put a label to it. At least, not until the team split.

_But someone sought to tear the two apart. An evil High Lord by the name of Ross told the team that their battles had grown too dangerous for them to continue fighting. So, he decreed that the team would be controlled by the government. The spy thought it was a good idea because they needed the people to trust them. But the soldier didn't want to do it, because they wouldn't be able to protect everyone as they tried to do. Even though they were on opposite sides of the war, they still cared about each other._

"They fought?" James asks as if horrified by the thought of two people in love ever fighting.

“Everyone fights. James, do you love Yelena less after you fight?”

James scrunches his face in thought. “No.”

“Yelena. What about when you fight with James?”

“No, Daddy.”

“That’s love. You fight, but you still care about each other,” he reassures them.

_The spy cared about her soldier so much that when his old friend had died, she went to him to make sure he was okay. She found him in a church, where she strode up the aisle to him. She asked him if he wanted to come with her. She wanted the team, her family to stay together, and part of her hoped he would say yes._

_But he couldn't do it. And the spy knew that. Knew that he couldn't sign that decree. But that wasn't the reason she went to see him._

“What was it?” Yelena asks.

_“I didn’t want you to be alone,” she told him before wrapping him in her embrace._

_The soldier and the spy looked after each other. When a castle was attacked, and the spy was inside, the soldier was quick to see that she was okay. When the team met on the battlefield, the spy let him go so he could finish his mission. The fight was big, but what they had was bigger. When the team split this time, the spy went back to the soldier. Together, they saved their friends who had been captured by the evil High Lord Ross. Because of him, they could no longer stay in their kingdom. So, they ran away together, accompanied by the lost knight, the witch, the archer, the falcon, and a thief who had the power to shrink and grow at will._

_They stayed in the shadows, saving the world unseen._

“Like Robin Hood?”

“Yes, Yelena, like Robin Hood.”

_Those years on the run, the soldier realized that the spy was not only his partner. She was his best friend. She had been there from the beginning, and he never understood what he did to deserve her. She risked everything for him, and he could never repay that._

_That was when he realized that he had fallen in love with her._

"Finally!" James exclaims, and Steve shakes his head. Sam and Bucky often complained about why it was taking so damn long for him and Natasha. Wanda was quieter about her own exasperation. But with everything going on around them, it never seemed to be the right time.

_But the soldier was too reluctant to make a move. She was his best friend, and they had something good. Why ruin it? But his resolution was tested when they received a message from an old friend, alerting them to the biggest monster they’d ever faced: Thanos. He was looking for the six Infinity Stones, so he could use them to kill half the universe._

_One of the stones was protected by the Vision, and so to keep him safe and to stop Thanos from taking the Stone, the soldier, the spy, the falcon, and the witch travelled to the kingdom of Wakanda, where her king, the Black Panther offered to help them. The lost knight was there too, ready to fight. Together, they battled Thanos’ army of Outriders and his children._

_Even if they had the most powerful people in the world fighting with them, Thanos succeeded. He killed Vision and took the Stone from him. With the six Stones, he snapped his fingers and took half the universe. The soldier had to watch as his friends left him, turning into piles of ash._

_He searched the battlefield, fearing the worst. The spy. He couldn’t lose her. His partner. His best friend. He could not lose her._

“Daddy?” James wraps his arms around his father’s neck. Yelena pushes herself up to wipe away the tears crawling down Steve’s cheeks. He buries his face in their chests. They are alive, they are here with him. It will be okay. It will be okay.

 _It’s okay, Steve,_ she once said after he broke down in her arms and cried.

“I’ll be fine, you two. It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” He squeezes them one more time. “Come on.” He musters his most cheerful voice. “The happy ending is coming soon.”

_And so, the soldier and the spy returned to their old kingdom. There, they made a life for themselves. The spy continued to keep the world safe while the soldier decided to help others move on._

_"I love you," he whispered one night. It had been scary, waiting for her answer as she turned to face him. It was more terrifying than any battle he'd fought and more frightening than any monster he ever faced._

_But all that fear was gone when she said, “What took you so long?” And she was smiling at him, the first real smile he’d seen from her in a long time._

_It wasn’t long before they were married in a small ceremony by the lake._

Steve smiles. Natasha had worn a short, white dress and her hair was pinned back by a small netted hat. Bruce gave her away because Clint couldn’t be there, despite Natasha’s hopes. Carol and Okoye had attended as had Tony and Pepper. Rhodey officiated the ceremony. Despite the happy occasion, it would have been better if Sam, Bucky, and Wanda were there to witness it.

But it all melted away when Natasha took his hand, smiling softly at him. He’d never seen a more beautiful view.

“What happened?” James asks, breaking Steve out of his reverie.

_Before everyone, the soldier and spy promised to love each other in the good times and the bad, to stay together until death did they part. They then sealed their new marriage with a kiss._

_Soon, they weren’t alone. A few months into their marriage, they welcomed twins: a son with hair like fire and a girl with emeralds for eyes._

_But then, the thief, who’d they thought had disappeared after Thanos’ snap, approached them with a plan to reverse Thanos’ dark deed. For the chance to right this grievous wrong, the team reunited for one last mission. Knowing that it would be dangerous, the soldier and the spy left their children in the care of a guard, promising them that things would be alright._

_The soldier and the spy, along with their team members old and new, made a plan to travel through time and collect the six Infinity Stones and fix everything. The soldier went with the wizard, the werewolf, and the thief to get three Stones in the kingdom of New York while the spy went with the archer to the distant planet of Vormir to retrieve another one._

_“See you in a minute,” the spy promised the soldier. And the soldier believed her because she always came back._

_But when they returned with all six Stones, the spy wasn’t there; the archer revealed that she had sacrificed herself to get the Infinity Stone._

_The soldier's heart shattered; the woman he loved was gone, and he would never get to be with her again. Neither would their children._

“But it gets better right?” James pleads. “Does it get better?” The same plea is written across Yelena’s face.

Steve sighs. "Let's finish the story first."

_The team would not waste her sacrifice. Using all six Stones, the werewolf used all his strength to bring back all who had been lost._

_But before the team could celebrate their success, a massive earthquake struck the castle. It was Thanos, who discovered the team’s plan and was ready to put an end to the Avengers and the universe once and for all._

_The soldier, the wizard, and the king went out to face him one last time, but he was too powerful for the three of them. But the soldier couldn’t let this monster, who had taken so much from him and countless others across the universe, win. He pushed himself to his feet, tightening his broken shield as he prepared to fight Thanos and his army._

_Until he heard a voice say, “On your left.”_

_And then, appearing from magical portals all around him, were the friends and family they had lost five years ago. Together, they fought Thanos and his army to keep him from stealing the Infinity Stones. So, the wizard took the stones and just as he was about to use them, the soldier, the archer, the king, and the werewolf joined forces with him. The five of them vanquished Thanos and his entire army, avenging the spy’s death._

_But the soldier had one last mission: to return the Infinity Stones to where they belonged. So, the soldier travelled across time and space, putting each one of them back. His last stop was his wife's resting place: Vormir._

_It was cold and dark; the worst place for his wife to spend her last moments. Hopefully, when he returned the Stone, he could retrieve her body and give her a proper burial. He threw the Stone of the cliff._

“And then?” James and Yelena cling to him.

_The soldier appeared in a lake at the bottom of the mountain. But he wasn't alone. He heard his name, and she was there: her hair in a braid, as red and gold as the sunset. Her green eyes were shining with tears. The spy ran to her husband, who picked her up and spun her around. Both rejoiced in being in each other's arms again._

_They returned to the kingdom, where they left the castle and built a home in the forest to raise their children and welcome their friends. The soldier and the spy continued to live a peaceful life, side by side, as always._

_And they lived_

“Happily ever after!” James and Yelena recited, their voices blending into one joyful note.

"And now, it's time for you two to go to sleep." Steve climbs out of bed and pulls back the covers. Yelena and James wriggle in, their heads laying against each other. Steve tucks the sheets close to their chins.

“Get some sleep. We have an early day tomorrow.”

“Are we going to see Mommy?” Yelena asks, her voice soft and eyes drooping.

“We will,” Steve promises them.

He begins to leave, but James stops him. "Dad, can you stay here tonight?"

It beat staying alone, waiting for tomorrow to come so he could see Natasha.

"Sure thing." Steve removes his shoes and climbs into bed beside his children. He reaches over James to switch the light off before embracing his two children, bringing them close to his side. His eyes fall on the Black Widow and Captain America action figure before he drifts off.

The next morning, Steve, James, and Yelena leave the house, a picnic basket in Steve’s hands. They walk to a clearing a few miles away from their home. Underneath a towering maple tree, is a headstone that read:

_Natasha Romanoff_

_1984-2023_

_Mother, Wife, Teammate, Spy_

_"We have what we have when we have it."_

"Hi, Mommy!" James greets her. Steve releases Yelena's hand so she can join her brother. As he sets up the picnic, their two children chatter about their lives: about playing with Morgan, about their Uncle Clint, about Uncle Bucky and Uncle Sam, about their Auntie Wanda. They even ask her to say hi to their Uncle Tony.

They have their picnic, staying in the clearing until the sun begins to set behind the trees. The twins have long fallen asleep. Steve eases them off his lap and crawls over to her grave. He lays his hand against Natasha’s headstone, his wedding band glinting against the marble.

“Hey Nat, I finally told the kids our story. Of course, I may have exaggerated things a bit.” She’d probably quirk her eyebrow up at that, giving him a knowing smirk.

“A lot. I gave it a better ending than the one we got.” She wouldn’t mind; they’d both wanted James and Yelena to live in a better world than the one they grew up in. Steve squeezes his eyes shut, tears leaking down his face. Their family deserved better than this. Their children needed her as did he.

If they had more time…

If he hadn’t waited too long…

If he had been with her…

She wouldn't want him dwelling on what-ifs. She'd want him to live his life. If only he could live it with her, side by side as they always were.


End file.
